Paddle On My Side!
by RhiannonWolf
Summary: Allen, Lavi and Kanda are sent to the Midwest for a mission. However, they encounter much more on the river than just Akuma. AllenxOC LavixOC KandaxOC Please don't flame!
1. Chapter 1

Alrighty,here we go! I know that I should be doing other things, but this particular story has been sitting in my files, gathering dust. It's a story that I wrote with my two bestest best friends in the whole widest wide world, based on a trip we actually took. Everything that happens in here actually did happen, except for a few obvious things. ^^;

Allen: RhiannonWolf does not own DGM or any of the characters. Just the plot.

Thank you very much Moyashi-chan!

Allen: Aw, not you too!

And now, please enjoy the insanity!

Chapter 1: Assignment

**~Exorcists~**

"America?"

"That's correct," Komui said from behind his desk. "I have a new mission for you three in America."

Kanda crossed his arms, annoyed. "Che. Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"We haven't even been briefed yet Kanda." Allen said, shooting him a look.

Lavi was standing beside them, a smug little grin on his face. "You know, I've always wanted to go to America. I hear the girls are really cute."

Allen sweat-dropped.

'_Whatever keeps him away from my sweet Lenalee…'_ Komui thought.

"We won't have time for that Baka Usagi!" Kanda shouted, brandishing Mugen at the red head.

"Now, now don't fight." Komui said, looking at the Exorcists before him. "There have been some reports of Akuma on the Meramec River in Missouri, and it is quite possible that Innocence is the reason. Your job is to go there, destroy any Akuma you find, and to look for the Innocence. You have a lot of work to do; I estimate that you'll only need to be there for a couple days, but if you need more time, contact me to let me know."

"We will." Allen nodded, standing up from the striped couch. "We'll see you in a couple days Komui."

Komui nodded, then he paused. "Oh wait, one more thing."

Kanda halted, almost outside the door, and growled. "What now you stupid sister-complex?"

"I just forgot to mention that on this mission, you'll need to blend in." Komui said. He handed a piece of paper to Lavi, who was closest. "Apparently there are going to be a lot of people floating down the river, and it just wouldn't do if you were to get, shall we say, shunned. You know what I mean, right?"

Allen and Lavi nodded. Kanda just continued to glare.

"So that paper that I just gave Lavi is a list of things that you may need in order to blend in." Komui said with a smile. "So good luck to you three."

**xxXXxx**

Allen, Lavi and Kanda were met with the Finder who was going along with them, who was apparently a native from the area they were headed, and so he could help them get around.

"Why the hell do we have to wear this?" Kanda grumbled when he saw the clothes that were going to help him 'blend in'.

"Aw, come on Yuu-chan!" Lavi said happily, pulling off the shirt he was currently wearing. "They're just regular clothes."

"Do not call me that Baka Usagi!" Kanda shouted in response, threatening to hit the red-head.

The clothes were really very normal, just different from what the three usually wore. All three had been given a pair of jeans, and T-shirts. Lavi, of course, had picked out his own shirt, which was a light gray and had an old man holding a fishing pole on it, with the words '_I'm a Chick Magnet'_ emblazoned beneath. He was wearing his hair down, in order to cover up his eye patch, since that wasn't something seen every day.

Kanda was going to wear a dark navy blue V-neck shirt. There really wasn't much to it at all…

Allen, of course, was going to stick with his long sleeved-button up shirt, even though Lavi pointed out that he probably wouldn't 'blend in' so well on the river with that.

"I just won't draw attention to myself." Allen said when Lavi questioned his choice of shirt. "Thus the reason I'm also going to put on concealer."

Of course Allen wouldn't want to draw attention to his scar. It would only make things difficult.

"It's going to be hot-"

"I'll be fine." Allen persisted.

Lavi sighed. "Okay, if you say so…"

**xxXXxx**

The trip overseas was long and tedious. Allen would have loved to use the Ark, but he couldn't, since he'd never been to the Midwestern United States before. So they'd have to do it the hard way.

Once they arrived, they rented a car, which the Finder drove, and headed of towards their destination. They were driving through the state of Missouri, which was the location of their mission. More specifically, their destination was a part of the Meramec River, more towards the south.

"So…first we need to stop off and get some supplies…" Lavi said from the passenger seat as he read the list Komui had given them. "And what we need is…well, food,"

"Of course." Allen interrupted. "And lots of it."

"Easy Allen…" Lavi laughed nervously. He returned his gaze to the paper in his hand. "And also…we need a tent, oh, and we should probably get some swimming trunks too…don't wanna walk in wet jeans…"

"Well, are we going or not?" Kanda growled, eyeing the red head in the front seat.

"Yes we are Yuu-chan!"

"I said don't call me that!"


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the second chapter! I hope you enjoy, and I made sure that it was longer than the first one. :D

Allen: Do I have to keep calling you RhiannonWolf or can I just call you Lynn now?

Just call me Lynn for the time being.

Allen: Thanks. RhiannonWolf is kinda long...so anyways, Lynn does not own DGM, myself or any other characters. Just the basic plot.

Thank you Allen! Now, let's get down to business, shall we?

Chapter 2: Camping

What felt like hours later, they finally arrived at a Walmart about half an hour away from the campsite they were going to be at.

"I thought it would never end…" Allen moaned, stumbling out of the car and almost crashing into another one parked beside them.

"Aw it wasn't that bad, Moyashi-chan!" Lavi said with an obnoxious grin.

"My name is Allen!" the white-haired Exorcist all but yelled.

"Let's get this over with." Kanda said, walking past them. "The sooner this mission is over, the better."

"Alright, alright." Lavi said, hurrying to catch up with the angry samurai while dragging Allen behind him.

**xxXXxx**

"How about this one?" Allen suggested, pointing to one of the many tents being advertised.

"Looks good Moyashi-chan!"

"My name is Allen stupid Lavi!"

Kanda rolled his eyes, watching the two argue with boredom. This was so stupid, why couldn't they just pick a damn tent and be done with it?

The swimming trunks and sleeping bags had already been picked out, and the tent was all that was left.

"I can't find any in my size!"

Kanda looked over when he heard the new voices and rolled his eyes at a group of three girls practically running around the shoe isle.

"Keep looking, I'm sure they're here somewhere."

"Any luck Caitlin?"

"Nope."

"Ugh…it's like our shoe size doesn't even exist!"

'_Or maybe they're just out of stock…'_ Kanda thought grumpily. These girls were really grating on his nerves. The sooner they could get out of the store, the better.

"Are you finished?" he asked lazily as Allen and Lavi waltzed over to him.

"Yep; we picked out a tent!" Lavi announced happily, holding it up like some kind of trophy.

Allen noticed the three girls and raised an eyebrow. "…What are they doing?" he asked aloud.

Kanda shrugged. "Looking for a shoe or something. I don't know and I really don't care. Let's just get out of here before I kill someone."

"You can't do that Yuu!" Lavi objected, only to have a fist come flying at his face, which he neatly dodged.

"Don't call me that you Baka Usagi!" he shouted, drawing the attention of some shoppers.

"Guys, please…" Allen said quietly, looking anywhere except for the people now staring at them.

The three girls were still too wrapped up in their shoe hunting to notice what was going on a couple feet away.

Then the three Exorcists walked away with their chosen items and paid for them before leaving.

**xxXXxx**

**~Girls~**

"Did you see those guys?"

"Huh?" the brunette girl with glasses asked, turning to the one who had spoken. "What guys?"

"The ones who were standing over there; two of them almost got into a fight."

A blonde popped her head out from behind an aisle, eyes sparkling. "Were they cute?"

"Lynn…" brunette sighed, giving her friend an exasperated look.

"You bet they were!" the first girl said, fanning herself slightly for emphasis.

"Oh you two…"

"Oh come on Caitlin!" Lynn said, nudging her friend. "We are 17 year old girls; it's in our nature."

"For you and Gubbi it is." Caitlin said.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot about Smart-Alec." Lynn smirked, earning a playful punch from the brunette.

"Hey, I'm tender!"

"That red-head was really cute…" Gubbi said wistfully.

"Okay, I must ask." Lynn said, holding up her hands and looking at Gubbi seriously. "…Was there a blonde?"

"Nope, no blondes."

"Aw damn…" Lynn snapped her fingers. "Well, there goes that idea. Never mind, you can have 'em."

"Wow, you're nice." Caitlin said sarcastically.

"I know, right?"

"Hey girls," came an older man's voice from one of the isles. "Try this size on, it might fit you."

"Okay!" they said, rushing into the isle to try on the water shoes.

**xxXXxx**

**~Exorcists~**

It was around 8:45 when the Exorcists' car pulled into the camping ground.

"And where are we supposed to be?" Allen asked, looking out the window.

"I'm pretty sure we just pick a spot." Lavi replied. "How about…that one?" he suggested, pointing to an empty spot across from an expensive-looking camper and truck.

"Whatever." Kanda grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest. "Let's just make this fast so we can go to sleep and then move out tomorrow morning. I'm sick of listening to you two."

"Aw, but Yuu-chan…"

"Baka Usagi!"

"AH!" Lavi yelled as Mugen came out of nowhere and nearly sliced his head in two. He flung the car door open and practically threw himself out while the car was still in motion.

"Master Lavi, please don't do that!" the Finder cried out in worry. "You could have gotten hurt!"

"Che. If only." Kanda snapped as he too got out of the car. Allen was not far behind him.

Lavi already had the tent out of the bag and spread out on the ground. "Okay, who wants ta help me set it up?"

"Che."

"Since Kanda is obviously going to be a party-pooper," Lavi said, facing Allen with a grin.

"No." Allen said with a dead-pan expression.

"Aw, come on guys!" Lavi all but whined.

"Here, I'll help you, Master Lavi." The Finder said, getting out of the car as well.

"Yeah!" Lavi cheered. "You guys are gonna miss out on so much fun!"

"Oh too bad." Kanda said, not sounding disappointed at all. "I'll just sit in here and watch you make a fool of yourself, Baka Usagi."

"You know, I never did catch your name." Lavi said, looking at the Finder, who was in casual clothes as well.

"My name is Peter." The Finder replied with a smile.

"Alright Peter. By the way, please just call me Lavi." The red head grinned. "To 'blend in', ya know?"

Peter nodded a little uncertainly, not used to calling the Exorcists by their actual names.

"So Peter," Allen said, watching the two sort out the parts for the tent. "You're from around here, right?"

The sandy-haired boy nodded. "That's right. I'm from St. Louis, about an hour and a half or so from here."

"How'd you end up at the Order?" Lavi asked, connecting two of the poles for the tent, and almost pinching his finger in the process.

"Actually, I have a relative who's also a Finder." Peter said. "A couple years ago, things just weren't looking very good for me when he contacted me and told me about the Order. I was so intrigued that he came here himself and then took me over there. It's the best decision I've ever made, I tell ya."

"That's nice; who's your relative?" Allen asked, leaning forward a little.

Peter scratched the back of his head, pausing in his work. "Actually, I think you might know him. His name's Goez."

Kanda blinked in surprise. "That pathetic moron is your relative?"

Allen glared at the samurai for being so rude, but Peter ignored it. "Yes, that's him. I take it you know him then."

"I met him a while ago on my way to meet up with Daisya Barry, a former Exorcist. We got caught up in a stupid mess about witches and whatnot."

"Sounds like fun…" Lavi said, his tone of voice saying the complete opposite.

"Come to think of it, I've heard him talk a lot about you." Peter said, looking at Kanda. "He has the highest respect for you."

"Che." Kanda huffed, turning his head to the side. "…He's definitely not the _worst _Finder I've met…"

"Holy crap!" Lavi yelled, dropping the poles to the tent and pointing at Kanda in shock. "Did Yuu-chan just _compliment_ someone!?"

"No way!" Allen cried, equally as shocked.

"…But he is one of the most pathetic, stupid, whiny and clingy people I've ever had the misfortune of meeting." Kanda continued.

"…So much for complimenting…" Allen said with a sigh.

"Oh well." Lavi said with a shrug, picking up the poles he'd dropped. "Let's get this tent up before it gets too dark out."

Peter nodded, and continued to work with Lavi.

A couple minutes later, Kanda started walking away.

"Hey, Yuu!" Lavi called after him. "Where ya goin'?!"

"Shut up." Kanda snapped, glaring back at him. "I'm going to look around. Keep quiet, we don't want to get thrown out, stupid."

"Okay, see ya Yuu!" Lavi said with an obnoxious wave.

"Do not call me that!"

**xxXXxx**

Ten minutes later, Kanda was still gone, and Allen was reduced to drawing in the dirt with a stick, to try and alleviate some of his boredom. After a couple failed attempts at getting the tent set up (none of which were Peter's fault), Lavi decided to try and put the tent up himself. Peter was instead assigned to start the fire in the little burn pit area.

"Okay…this part goes here…and this part goes here…" Lavi said, looking like he was playing a game of Twister with himself.

Allen was in the middle of drawing an awful looking flower-plant-thing when his stomach suddenly growled. He paused, put his hand over it and looked at Lavi with a dead-pan expression.

"…I'm hungry."

Lavi groaned. "But we haven't even got the tent up!"

"I'm still hungry."

The red head sighed in exasperation. "Can you wait a couple minutes?"

"No."

"But-"

"Oh just give me an apple or something!" Allen groaned, almost falling over in the dirt. It was getting very dark out, and they were the only ones without a tent up.

Well, they were, until a very large beige colored van drove up and parked across the road.

Lavi was too busy trying to disentangle himself from the tent fabric to notice that three of the people who got out were the three girls from the store. He did catch a glimpse of them, though. Right before he hit the ground.

"Hey, look more people!" Lavi said, crashing to the dirt the next moment.

"What?" Allen said, turning to look across the road. He couldn't see who it was because of the lighting, but he could count out six figures emerging from the large van.

"That's awesome; I wonder if they're going on the river?" Lavi said to himself, looking up at the sky.

"Oh well, it doesn't really matter, now does it?" Allen said, looking back at his friend. "You need to hurry and get that tent set up before Kanda gets back. He might kill you."

Lavi laughed lightly. "As he has promised so many times before."

Allen gave him a look.

"…Fine…" Lavi sighed, going back to trying to set the tent up.

Five minutes later, it was still the same.

"Stupid Lavi!" Allen growled, throwing his hands up. "Why couldn't you just let Peter help you do it?"

"Because I know I can, I'm just-"

"Stubborn?"

"-out of practice."

Allen rolled his eyes at the red head, silently wondering how on earth they were actually friends. And if that tent wasn't set up by the time Kanda got back…well…there would be blood.

"Lavi, you've spent almost twenty minutes trying to set the tent up; just let Peter do it." Allen sighed.

"Allen, Peter went to go check for Kanda a couple minutes ago."

"…You're kidding."

"Nope. Serious as a heart attack."

Allen groaned.

"Do you guys need help?"

The two turned and saw a tall, young boy with slightly spikey blondish-hair standing on the edge of the road.

"Oh no, we're good!" Lavi said, still tangled up on the ground.

The boy looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. "Oh really? How'd you get tangled up like that?"

"…Well, ya see-"

"Yes, we would love some help." Allen said, interrupting Lavi before he could embarrass himself. "Thank you very much…"

"Will." The boy replied. "Hold on a minute, and I'll help ya out."

The boy walked over to Lavi and helped him get out of the tangled mess he'd made, and then helped set it up. It didn't take more than five minutes.

"Wow, you're really good!" Lavi said with a grin, clapping Will on the back.

"Thanks; we go camping a lot, and I usually help set up the tents. I take it you don't usually do this?"

"Not really…" Allen said, trailing off slightly. "We don't have a lot of free time to do much of anything."

"I see." Will responded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, I'll see you guys later I guess."

"Bye!" Lavi said, waving erratically.

Allen gave Lavi a look that made him stop waving.

"Do you mind? You look like an idiot." Allen said bluntly, going to the car to get out his sleeping bag and put it in the newly constructed tent.

"Why are you so mean?" Lavi cried, going to get his as well.

**xxXXxx**

Not even two minutes later, both Kanda and Peter returned to the camp.

"Finally got it up, baka?" Kanda sneered.

"Yeah, no thanks to you BaKanda." Allen shot back.

"…Stupid Moyashi."

"My name is Allen!"

"Let's not fight, okay?" Peter said, going between the two. "We have a long day ahead of us, and we should go to sleep soon."

As soon as Peter had spoken, Allen's stomach began growling again.

Lavi looked around worriedly. "Was that a wild animal?"

"It was me baka Lavi…" Allen moaned. "I'm starving…"

"Shut up Moyashi." Kanda snapped. "Your whining is annoying."

"Not as bad as your face BaKanda."

"You wanna say that again Shortstack?"

"My name is Allen!"

"Allen, look, food!" Lavi interrupted, holding another apple in the white-haired boy's face. Allen's eyes followed it like a cat's eyes follow a bird outside a window.

He then snatched it from the red head and nearly inhaled it, before holding his hand out for another one.

**xxXXxx**

Leave a review if you would be so kind! :D


	3. Chapter 3

Ha ha! Chapter three is ready and waiting folkes!

Allen: *sigh* If only you were doing what you should be doing...

I'm relaxing.

Allen: No, you're just making excuses.

Shut up.

Allen: *shakes head pitifully* Oh well. Lynn does not own DGM or the characters. Just the plot.

Thank you good sir! Now, let's move out!

Chapter 3: Lots of Talking...

Kanda groaned and held his pillow over his ears. "What the hell are those idiots doing over there!? It sounds like they're raping someone!"

"Kanda, don't even say that!" Allen said, trying to punch the other. "And Lavi, get over here; you're being weird."

"Huh?" Lavi said, not moving from his spot against the tent wall. He had his ear pressed to it, trying to hear what was being said. It was quite obvious that the voices were all female.

"I said you're being weird." Allen repeated, attempting to drag Lavi away and back to his sleeping bag.

"Wait, I wanna hear!" Lavi cried, evading Allen's grasp. "I'll be right back; hold on."

"Lavi, don't you dare-" Allen began, but his words were lost on the red head as he leaped out of the tent and crept across the road to a blue tent, where he could hear the voices of the girls.

"Yeah, and I'm as straight as a bent pole." One of them said, resulting in quite a few giggles.

"I'm not sure what I am." Another voice said. "I guess I'll find out tonight."

"…That actually concerns me…"

Lavi crept closer, only a couple feet away from the tent.

"Wait…do you hear something?" asked a third voice. "…I think someone's walking around outside."

Lavi froze in his tracks. '_Dammit…'_

"It's probably the forest ranger guy or whatever." The first voice said dismissively.

"Then you'd better shut up." A fourth voice snapped. "You're being really loud, and you're going to get us kicked out of the camp for it. So shut up and go to sleep."

"…Whoa…" the second voice said. "…That was kinda mean…"

"Thank you!" the first voice said in exasperation. "See Claire, even they think you're being mean!"

"Guys, I seriously think someone's outside." The third voice said, sounding a little nervous.

There was some shuffling around inside, and then Lavi bolted back across the road and to the tent he was sharing. He didn't want to get caught.

**xxXXxx**

"Oi, usagi! Wake up!"

Lavi rolled over, mumbling. "No…come on Panda…five more minutes…"

"I'm not that stupid Panda; now get up!" Kanda roared, kicking the red head in the side, making him wince. "We're gonna be late you idiot!"

Lavi opened his good eye to see the fuzzy image of Kanda standing above him. "Wha…?"

"You idiot; we have to go on the river, remember?!" the angry samurai yelled. "The stupid Moyashi and that Finder already went down there to get a canoe or some shit!"

"Okay, okay…" Lavi yawned, sitting up. He rubbed his eye tiredly before getting up and grabbing his swim trunks from his bag.

**xxXXxx**

Allen sighed as he waited for Kanda and Lavi to show up. He and Peter had gone on ahead to make sure they got a canoe. Turns out, there was one left over. Peter decided to stay at the camp, since only three people could be in a canoe. He said that he could also find out more about the river and such.

So Allen was just waiting.

There were so many people there too. It seemed like it was a family reunion of some type, since the majority of them seemed to know one another.

Some of the people were already floating down the river, yelling and whooping out loud. Some were quite rowdy in Allen's opinion.

There was a group of teenaged boys standing not far from him on the river bank, holding on to giant yellow inner tubes. Allen recognized the boy from the night before, Will, but didn't say anything.

Then a group of three girls ran past; well, two of them were running, the third was just walking. The one with short, very dark hair was holding out what looked like a square, blue butterfly net, filled with rocks. She was running away from another brunette with glasses, who seemed intent on catching the net. The third girl had on a sun hat of some kind, and she either had really, really short hair or it was all up in the hat. But Allen took a guess in thinking she was blonde. She was just walking behind the two.

"Hey Lynn! Take this!" the short haired brunette almost yelled, spinning around and shoving the net into the blonde's hands.

"…Huh?" came the intelligent reply. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Keep them away from Caitlin!" the girl cried, jumping behind Lynn as Caitlin stalked towards them, her hand held out.

"Lynnie, please hand over my rocks." Caitlin said in a voice that promised pain if answered incorrectly.

"Okay." She replied, plopping the net in her friend's hands.

Allen had to stifle a laugh at the expression on the other girl's face.

"Lynnie!" she whined.

"Gubbi, please stop that." Lynn said, continuing walking down the rocky shore. "If there are any fights in the canoe, it's gonna tip. And remember that if the canoe tips, our first priority is making sure we get Caitlin's glasses."

Gubbi nodded solemnly. "Yeah, not even our own lives come first."

"Hey, this is my second pair!" Caitlin argued, taking off said glasses and attempting to clean off the lenses with her shirt. "I can't lose this pair; my Mom will kill me!"

"And us." Lynn said, throwing her arm around Gubbi's shoulder.

"Hey hey," Caitlin said, authority ringing in her voice. "Don't make a scene you two."

"Why?" Gubbi asked innocently, drawing Lynn closer. "We lo-"

"You can stop right there, Gubbi." Lynn said with a laugh. "You know I love ya, but not in that way."

Gubbi made a face that reminded Allen of a cat hunting its prey. "Are you sure about that?"

"Wow, you girls are weird." Came Will's voice from the group of boys.

"Ha!" Lynn laughed, pointing at the boy. "Says you!"

Will looked like he was waiting for her to continue. "…And?"

Lynn huffed and put on a pair of large, round sunglasses. "You are so immature."

"What does that have to do with anything?" another boy asked.

"It just does." Lynn said as Gubbi laughed at the curly-haired boy's confusion.

"Oi, Moyashi!"

Allen's attention was directed behind him as he heard Kanda call out.

"My name is Allen BaKanda." Allen fired back, crossing his arms and huffing.

"Shut up and stop creeping on those girls." The samurai snapped. "I don't want us getting thrown out of here before our mission is over."

"Hey, you should be telling that to Lavi, not me!" Allen argued.

"Shut up and get in the damn canoe."

Lavi came up behind the samurai and threw an arm around his neck. "Now Yuu-chan, let's behave, shall we?"

"I told you not to call me that!" Kanda yelled, beginning to chase Lavi around the rocky shore, oblivious to the attention he was getting.

Allen face-palmed, trying to hide his embarrassment. He never liked being the center of attention, or at least having numerous strangers staring at him all at once.

Trying to ignore the looks he was getting, he quickly made his way over to where Lavi and Kanda had finally stopped and were climbing into a canoe.

"I call middle!" Lavi declared happily, jumping right in and almost knocking it over.

"Lavi, you can't just jump in." Allen reprimanded, though he knew it wouldn't do any good. He saw that Kanda was already in the front, and he sighed. "Okay, I'm in the back."

"You have to push us out first Baka Moyashi." Kanda sneered.

Allen bristled, at the demeaning tone and the stupid nickname. "My name is Allen, or are you just too stupid to understand what I'm saying to you?!"

"Shut up and push Moyashi." Kanda replied, irritated.

Allen growled, but started pushing all the same.

**xxXXxx**

**~Girls~**

Lynn knew she shouldn't be staring, but she couldn't help it.

First of all, the guy had pure white hair.

Second of all, he was pushing that canoe like it was hardly anything at all.

Thirdly…he was cute. Even if he _wasn't_ blonde…

Fourthly, he was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and white gloves.

…In this heat?

She blinked and rubbed her eyes a couple times, wondering if the sun was getting to her.

"Lynn, can we go now?" Caitlin asked, standing next to the canoe. The hat she was wearing – honestly – was an eyesore. But since she liked it, Lynn wasn't going to say anything about it.

Nothing too offensive, that is.

"I don't know, I would like to tell my Dad first, but I don't know where he went." She replied, looking around for her dad. "I think he went to park the van somewhere…"

"Okay."

With nothing really to do, Lynn wandered over to where her Aunt Bonnie was by the edge of the river. She was watching one of Lynn's cousins, who was probably about four to five years old.

And Lynn was feeling really bad since she couldn't remember the little girl's name…

"Hey Aunt Bonnie!" she said, wading into the water to join her relatives. Caitlin and Gubbi followed close behind, since they couldn't think of anything else to do either.

"Well hello Maggie!" the woman with graying hair said with a bright smile. She didn't notice Lynn wince slightly when she'd said her first name. "I'm glad to see you came this year."

"Yeah…funny story about that…" she said, laughing nervously.

"Oh?"

"Yeah…well, Dad decided to be funny and took my phone from me one day and texted Gubbi and asked her if she'd like to come…" Lynn said, scratching the back of her head lightly. "He did this right in front of me, and basically without asking."

"He did? Your Dad always was a trouble-maker." Aunt Bonnie laughed.

"Yeah well, since he did that, I didn't really have much of a choice." Lynn admitted as Caitlin and Gubbi waded farther into the river to look for rocks. "And since I was going anyways, I invited Caitlin too."

"And she goes to school with you?" Aunt Bonnie asked.

"Yep, we all go to the same school." Lynn answered brightly.

"Well I'm glad to see you here." Aunt Bonnie said. She looked down to the little girl hanging onto one of her legs. "Aren't we glad to see Cousin Maggie?"

The little girl grinned and shook her head no.

Lynn put a hand over her heart and gasped. "What?! That really hurts!"

"Oh you know who Cousin Maggie is, don't you?" Aunt Bonnie continued.

Again, the girl shook her head.

"Wha!? But I'd never forget you!" Lynn cried in mock sadness. "Let's see…your name is…Lizzy."

The girl shook her head again, almost hiding behind Aunt Bonnie's leg.

Lynn blinked, trying to look surprised. "It isn't? Oh well then it must be Lenny."

The five-year old giggled and said "No!"

"Really?" Lynn pretended to think really hard. "Then…oh, it's Libby!"

"Yeah!" the little girl squealed, splashing Lynn with some river water.

"Wha! Hey no fair!" Lynn cried, splashing her back.

Libby squealed in delight and hid herself behind Aunt Bonnie's leg again, using her as a human shield.

Both Lynn and Aunt Bonnie laughed at the little girl's display.

"Hey Lynn!" Caitlin called, waving her over. "I found a really cool rock, come and look at it."

"Alrighty then." Lynn replied. "See ya Aunt Bonnie!"

"Yeah, I'll be seeing you all day." Her aunt smiled as the blonde trotted over to her two friends.

"Let me see." Lynn said, holding out her hand. Caitlin set a rock in her palm about half the size of a baseball, with blackish-grey lines running across an almost orange surface. The rock itself was more in the shape of a triangle than anything, and it could clearly be seen that it had been broken off recently from a much bigger rock.

"Wow, that's cool." Lynn said, admiring the rock. "It looks like a tiger."

"I know, right?" Caitlin said with a smile, quite proud of her find. Caitlin was a rock fanatic; she loved all kinds of rocks, and one could even go as far as to say she was slightly obsessed with them. But she only showed this side of herself when she was around rocks; she didn't talk about them constantly.

Iron, however, was another subject entirely…

"Do you want it?" Lynn asked, looking up at her bespectacled friend. "If you do, then you can put it in the pocket on the front of my camel-back."

"Are you sure?" Caitlin asked. "I mean, it is kinda big…"

"But do you really want it?" Lynn asked seriously.

"…Sure, why not?" Caitlin said, taking the rock back.

"Okay, then unzip the pouch on the bag, will ya?" Lynn asked, turning around so her friend could do so.

**xxXXxx**

It didn't take long at all for Lynn to get tired of waiting for her Dad. So she hopped over to the canoe where her two friends were waiting.

"Alright, let's go." She said.

"Is your Dad here?" Caitlin asked, looking around.

"No, but I'm tired of waiting." Lynn responded. "Besides, it's a river. It only goes one way."

"She has a point…" Gubbi mumbled. "'Kay kay! I call middle!"

"Who wants to be front?" Caitlin asked aloud, looking at Lynn.

"I don't really care, I just wanna be in the boat."

"It's a canoe stupid." Came Will's teasing voice from behind her.

Lynn tried to land a punch but failed miserably while yelling, "It floats on water and carries people, and therefore it is a boat!"

Will merely laughed at her and ran off with his friends right into the river, hanging onto their big yellow inner tubes.

Caitlin climbed into the front of the canoe and Lynn got in the back. Gubbi was already in the middle, and she was looking quite happy at the moment.

"Alright  
everyone, let's go!" Lynn cried, picking up her paddle and attempting to move the canoe into the river while the three of them were still in it. Caitlin did the same with her paddle, and got the same results.

Nothing happened.

Frankly, it was quite embarrassing, seeing as how many people were still standing on the rocky shore.

"…I don't think this is working." Caitlin said finally, setting her paddle against her legs.

"Yeah…" Lynn looked around and then spotted someone. "Hey, Aunt Lorie?" she asked with a somewhat sheepish smile. "Can you help push us out?"

**xxXXxx**

Please leave a review! I'll update faster, I swear!

Allen: Really, reviews motivate her. And you should see the outstanding results that come from her being motivated. Seriously, compared to what she usually does, the differences are staggering.

...Remind me why I love you again?

Allen: ...I dunno.

Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

*nervously sweating* Uh…hey guys…I know I disappeared for a while there…^^;

Allen: For once she actually has a valid excuse. Her computer stopped letting her log onto te website a long time ago, and she hasn't been able to fix it since.

*breathes sigh of relief* Thanks Moyashi-chan.

Allen: *eye twitch* Mhm…

Okay, sorry for the long wait, but here you guys go!

Chapter 4: Learning

**~Exorcists~**

"Hey this isn't too bad…" Lavi said happily, closing his one green eye. "It's kinda…relaxing…"

"Shut up Baka Usagi!" Kanda snarled, threatening to hit him with the paddle. "It's relaxing for you cause you're sitting there on your lazy ass not doing a damn thing!"

"That's because I am in the middle. You can now call me Captain Lavi!"

"Uh yeah, no." Allen said blatantly. "You need to sit still so we don't tip."

"Aw don't be such a worry-wart Al!" Lavi cried happily. "Loosen up a bit!"

"This is a mission Baka Usagi." Kanda growled. "We don't have time for fun!"

"OH HOLY SCHNIPS!"

The three Exorcists turned their heads and saw the canoe with the three girls in it, getting spun around in a circle by the current. The girl in the back with the hat was clutching the edge of the canoe, and she was also the one who was screaming.

Lavi couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight.

"Oh schnips, oh schnips!" the girl yelled again.

"Lynn, just calm down already!" the girl in front yelled.

The girl in the middle was also clutching the sides of the canoe, but she was laughing instead of screaming. "Paddle on my side!" she cried in between laughs. "Paddle on my side!"

"Which side is your side?!" the girl in front cried, desperately trying to use her paddle to set the canoe straight. "You're in the middle! And not paddling!"

By then, they were floating down the river almost completely backwards, but the current was continuously turning them around. Because of this, they were directly behind the Exorcist's canoe, and so Allen would have to be the one to help them out if need be.

"Would you like some help?" Allen asked politely. He reached out and grabbed the side of the canoe to stop it from spinning around. When he did, the two canoes bumped with enough force to make all six of them jolt slightly. The girl with the hat moved forward a bit, and when she did, her sunglasses slid right off.

"Ah, my glasses!" she cried when they fell. Thankfully the sunglasses landed in Allen's lap instead of the water.

"Here." Allen said, picking them up and handing them to her.

And just like that, time seemed to freeze.

Cliché, I know, but bear with me.

Allen could see now that she was definitely blonde; she had a couple strands hanging out from under the hat. And she had big, stormy grey-blue eyes.

No one really moved until Kanda cleared his throat loudly, signaling for Allen to get on with it.

"Uh…here." He said again, handing her the glasses. "Hold on, I'll help set the canoe straight."

"…Thanks." She said, a heavy blush appearing on her cheeks.

Allen tried to turn the canoe around, but it was hard to do sideways, so Lavi eventually jumped out – yes, _jumped_ – and got on the other side to help.

"See ya later!" he called, waving at them as the canoe went ahead.

"Definitely!" the girl in the middle cried, waving almost as obnoxiously as Lavi was.

**xxXXxx**

**~Girls~**

"That was nice of them." Caitlin remarked as they floated down the river.

"Guys, those were the boys in the store!" Gubbi cried, sounding like she was ready to start bouncing up and down any moment. "I'd recognize that red-head anywhere!"

"Really?" Caitlin asked. "Interesting…"

Lynn was completely silent, a hand on one of her bright red cheeks. _'…Those eyes…whoa…'_

"Should we stop off here?" Gubbi asked, looking at a shore about ten feet away.

"But we just started!" Caitlin argued.

"Caitlin, it's a _float_." Gubbi said slowly, trying very hard not to irritate her friend. "That's what you do on a float, you just float, and stop about every five minutes."

Caitlin sighed softly. "But we _just_ started…"

"Lynn, what are your thoughts on it?" Gubbi asked, turning her head to see her friend.

Lynn's head shot up in surprise, the blush still evident on her cheeks. "Huh?"

Gubbi grinned, making Lynn practically shrink back. "Oh…hey Lynnie, why ya blushing?"

"Blushing?" Lynn stammered. "I'm not blushing! Why would you think I'm blushing?!"

"Cause ya are!"

"Lynn's blushing?" Caitlin asked curiously. "Why?"

"Really Lynn, I didn't think that guys with white hair were your type." Gubbi teased.

Lynn's blush came back full force.

"WHAAA?!" she shrieked.

**~Exorcists~**

Allen turned his head slightly when he heard a very familiar voice scream.

"Was that the same girl?" Lavi asked with a sigh.

"I think so." Allen replied.

"Sheesh Allen, you really riled her up." Lavi remarked with a grin.

"Wha?!" Allen cried out indignantly. "I did nothing of the sort!"

"Of course you didn't." Lavi said, not sounding convinced at all. "Just like you really didn't do anything to Road to make her so obsessed with you."

"I did nothing! Don't say things like that! She's just crazy!" Allen argued, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Careful Allen," Lavi said in a sing-song voice, wagging his finger. "If Sunglasses-chan hears you say that, she might be upset."

"Why would she - Sunglasses-chan?" Allen said in confusion.

"Yeah, you know who I mean."

"But you don't even know her. Or her name!"

"And?" Lavi asked in a bored voice.

"Why would you give her a nickname if you don't know her?"

"Why not?"

"How about both of you just shut up?" Kanda barked from the front.

Then Lavi jumped, nearly upsetting the canoe. "Oh! There's a good spot! Let's stop there!"

"Idiot…" Kanda growled. "Why the hell would we stop? We just started! I don't even see why we need to be here!"

"Because there are Akuma?" Allen suggested with a grin. "Come now Kanda, your brain can't be that small."

"Shut it Moyashi!"

"My name is Allen BaKanda!"

"Guys, come on!" Lavi said, trying to stop the argument. "Seriously, let's stop here!"

"Why?" Allen asked, genuinely curious.

"Because Komui agrees with me that you two need to loosen up a little." Lavi replied happily. "And that while we're on this mission, we should try to relax a little." he attempted to look at Allen. "Why do you think Link isn't here?"

Allen blinked. "…Komui can _do_ that?!"

"Apparently."

"Che."

**~Girls~**

"Oh, look!" Gubbi cried excitedly, pointing at one of the many shores. "I think they're stopping there! Let's stop too!"

"…Why?" Caitlin all but whined.

"Cause I want to learn that redhead's name." Gubbi replied happily.

With the look on her face and the way she was rubbing her hands together, she easily could have passed as a Disney villain.

Lynn took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go."

"But-" Caitlin started.

"Caitlin, please!" Lynn pleaded. "Come on, please!"

The brunette in the front sighed. "Okay…"

"You can look for more rocks." Lynn added.

Caitlin smiled. "What are we waiting for?!" she cried, paddling faster. "Let's stop off at the next shore!"

**~Exorcists~**

"Oh look, they're stopping!" Lavi said happily, watching as the three girls beached their canoe. "Come on Yuu, let's stop too!"

"Why would we do that Baka Usagi?" Kanda snapped.

Lavi grinned. "Cause I'm the captain, remember? And besides, they look nice!"

Allen rolled his eyes. He wasn't about to argue however. They did look nice…

"Stupid rabbit…" Kanda mumbled as he paddled towards the shoreline.

However, Lavi was getting far too excited to be sitting in a canoe. When they were roughly nine feet away from the shore, the redhead's bouncing got out of hand.

"Oi! Usagi!" Kanda barked when he felt the canoe begin to rock back and forth. "Stop it you idiot!"

"Lavi, I hate to say it, but I think I agree with BaKanda!" Allen cried, abandoning the paddle and clutching the sides of the canoe instead. "Lavi, stop!"

Lavi did not stop however, since every ounce of his attention was focused on the short-haired brunette standing on the shore.

He leaned a little too far to the right, successfully tipping the canoe and practically flinging them into the water.

"LAVI!" Allen yelled as he hit the water.

"DAMMIT USAGI!"

He also pretty much sealed his fate, since Kanda was definitely going to kill him.

The three of them floundered to the surface, gasping for air.

Allen couldn't help but blush when he saw that the three girls were trying to hide their giggles.

Kanda looked absolutely murderous. His killer aura was so tangible that it could practically be seen in the air around him. Lavi backed up uncertainly, knowing that he was in deep trouble.

"Uh…hey now Yuu-chan…" the redheaded Exorcist said slowly, holding his hands up as if he was innocent.

"You are going to die." Kanda growled, picking Mugen up from the river bed like a precious baby. "I'll make sure of it."

"Ah! The canoe!" Allen cried when he saw the said object slowly floating down the river.

Kanda rolled his eyes. "Che. If you're so concerned about the damn thing, why don't you get it yourself?"

"I didn't even ask you for help!"

"Maybe not, but I knew it was coming. You're so damn predictable Moyashi."

Allen curled his hands into fists at his sides. "My name is Allen BaKanda!"

"Like I give a damn."

"Oh, let me help!"

Allen turned and saw the blonde girl from before – what was her name again? She was rushing towards him, rather awkwardly. It was obvious that the pink and black water shoes she was wearing were not made for running at all. Especially on rocky ground. Her other friend with the glasses was close behind her.

Lavi was currently trying to get away from Kanda who was brandishing his Mugen in a way that clearly meant harm.

When the blonde reached the part where the water met the shore, she stepped on an especially slippery rock. Allen saw it before it even happened.

"Hold on!" he cried when her foot went the wrong way, causing her to fall down. Allen reached her just in time to prevent her hitting the ground; she instead collided with him, which caused the two of them to topple down into the water.

"Lynn are you okay?!" her friend cried, thankfully avoiding the slippery rock.

Lavi would have stopped to check as well, but he had an incredibly angry samurai on his tail who wasn't about to stop.

Lynn rolled off of Allen and landed in the water next to him, getting wet anyways. She took one look at the boy beside her, and then started laughing.

Allen was a little confused as to what was going on when she started laughing. Was it some inside joke or something? What was so funny?

"Lynnie, why are you laughing?" the girl Lavi had had his eye on asked.

Okay, apparently there wasn't an inside joke…

"Look at us!" Lynn cried, gesturing to everyone around her and still laughing. "We're such a mess!"

Allen found her laughter contagious, and before he knew it, he was laughing along with her. Even though he still wasn't sure why it was so funny.

Lavi stopped running when he heard the laughter. He couldn't help but grin when he saw Allen laughing too. _'This is exactly what that beansprout needs.' _He thought. He hadn't heard Allen laugh like that in a long time. Too long.

"Oi!" Kanda barked, still intent on killing Lavi. "Baka Usagi!"

"Yipe!"

"Isn't it funny Caitlin?" Lynn asked between giggles.

The brunette with glasses rolled her eyes with a smile before reaching out her hand to help her friend up. Lynn took it and then stood up. She turned to Allen and held her hand out as well.

"Thanks!" she said with a big smile. "For catching me, I mean."

Allen blinked before taking her hand and standing up as well. "My pleasure."

The short-haired brunette smiled knowingly at the exchange.

"Hey! This your canoe?" came a voice from down the river. Two men with farmer's tans were walking towards them, the Exorcists' canoe in tow.

Lavi took this chance to escape certain death by sword and jumped forward. "Yes sir it is! Thanks for catching it. We got a little…" he grinned at Allen, whose cheeks turned pink. "…Distracted."

"Be more careful, alright?" the man said, beaching the canoe for them before retreating.

"You know…" Lynn said suddenly, gaining everyone's attention. "Since we keep running into each other, we should probably learn names."

"Good idea!" the short-haired brunette said happily.

"Sure!" Lavi agreed whole-heartedly. "My name's Lavi. The sourpuss behind me is Yuu-chan,-"

"Don't call me that Baka Usagi!" Kanda shouted, pointing Mugen right between Lavi's eyes.

Lavi swallowed nervously. "O-okay…he prefers to be called Kanda…"

"More like demands…" Allen mumbled.

"-and that over there is Moyashi-chan!" Lavi finished.

"My name's Allen!" the white-haired Exorcist argued, his cheeks still pink.

Lynn couldn't help but giggle. He was so cute when he looked like that! "…Nice to meet you; I'm Lynn, that over there is Caitlin, and this is Gubbi!"

"My name's actually _Gabi_." The short-haired brunette said clearly, obviously trying to get the point across. "Ga-bi. Not Gubbi."

"No. No, it's Gubbi." Caitlin smirked, crossing her arms.

Gubbi rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"So is this your first float?" Lynn asked, looking up at Allen.

The white-haired Exorcist scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "…Is it that obvious?"

"…Kinda." Lynn admitted. "But don't worry! It's Caitlin's first float too."

Caitlin just sort of shrugged in response.

"Che." Kanda scoffed. "With the way you were spinning so _helplessly _earlier, it was pretty damn obvious."

Caitlin bristled.

"Now Yuu-chan!" Lavi said, throwing his arm around the samurai's shoulders. "Let's try and make friends instead of driving them away, shall we?"

"Don't touch me you idiot." Kanda shoved Lavi off him and walked back to the canoe.

"…He's a little…" Lynn paused to find the right word.

"Rude? Demeaning? Irritating?" Caitlin supplied.

"…I was gonna go with 'unpleasant', but those work too."

"Please don't take it personally," Allen said. "He's like that to everyone."

"Whatever." Caitlin all but snapped.

It was pretty obvious that she was ticked off as she stalked back to the other canoe. "Let's go now!"

"But…we just…" Lynn said, helplessly gesturing around.

Gubbi smirked when she noticed that Lynn pointed to Allen a couple times during her mime-like episode.

Caitlin gave her two friends a look. "Come on."

Gubbi sighed heavily. "Oh fine…" she turned to Lavi. "Well, it appears we have to go. I guess we'll see you guys again soon?"

Lavi grinned. "You bet we will!"

Lynn really didn't want to go, but with the look Caitlin was giving her, she figured she had no choice. "Alright…" she glanced at Allen as she walked away. "…Bye."

He waved a little before walking to his own canoe.

**xxXXxx**

"You know what…I think it was pretty pointless to say goodbye like that." Lynn stated as she paddled. "Since we're floating side-by-side now."

Lavi laughed while Allen grinned sheepishly. Kanda just ignored their existence.

"Yeah, I guess it was." Allen admitted.

"So, where are you guys from?" Gubbi asked, having nothing better to do, since she was in the middle.

"Well, Yuu here's from Japan." Lavi said with a grin, happy that the samurai was ignoring him. "And Allen's from England."

"You're British?!" Lynn and Gubbi cried together, looking a little too enthusiastic.

Allen sweat-dropped. "Uh…yes…"

"Say something British!" Gubbi pleaded, clasping her hands together. "Please!"

"…Like what?"

"I don't know…like…'jolly good' or something!"

Lavi didn't bother to hide his sniggers as Allen cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh…jolly good?"

Gubbi squealed happily and Lynn hid her blushing face.

'_What is with these girls?'_ Allen wondered, looking away and trying to hide his blush.

When the 'giggle-fit' was over with, Lavi took note in the fact that both Allen and Lynn still had hints of blush on their faces.

"So where are you from Lavi?" Gubbi asked.

Lavi winked-or blinked, no one could really tell for sure. "That's a secret!"

Lynn snickered at the slight blush that bloomed across her friend's cheeks.

Caitlin still said nothing, though Lynn was pleased to notice her glancing at Kanda every now and then. But she wasn't sure if she was looking at Kanda, or the sword leaning against the front of the canoe.

"So where are you girls from?" Lavi asked in what could have been considered a 'mysterious voice'.

"We're from St. Louis." Lynn answered. "We all go to school together."

Caitlin shot the blonde a look that clearly said 'don't-say-too-much', but Lynn ignored it.

"That's nice." Allen remarked with a smile.

"Yeah; the three of us work together." Lavi added with a huge grin.

"What do you do?" Gubbi asked, leaning forward ever-so-slightly, nearly causing Lynn to freak out again.

Lavi and Allen looked at one another for a split second, trying to think of what to say.

"We investigate strange occurrences." Kanda said abruptly from the front. "Now stop that squealing and shut up."

"Strange occurrences?" Lynn repeated, completely ignoring the navy-haired teen. "Like what?" then her eyes widened. "Holy crap, are you ghost hunters?!"

"Uh…not exactly…" Allen said, sounding unsure of himself.

"But we do investigate stuff like that!" Lavi chipped in. "You know, strange happenings that can't be explained, strange myths and legends, that sort of stuff."

"So…like ghosts and demons?" Lynn said.

"Well, we do deal with demons a lot." Lavi replied. "Almost on a daily basis."

Allen shot him a look, but it was ignored.

Lynn's face lit up like the night sky on Independence Day. "So you **are** ghost hunters!"

Lavi and Allen sweat-dropped.

"I knew it! Oh my God that is so cool!" she cried, almost bouncing up and down.

"Would you please stop that?" came Caitlin's very controlled voice. "I don't want this canoe to tip."

Lynn frowned a bit when she heard Caitlin's sharp tone. She looked a little hurt, but tried to brush it off.

"So…why are you here?" Lynn asked, resulting in a heavy and annoyed sigh from Kanda. "Vacation?" then her eyes lit up again. "Or ghosts?! Are there ghosts here?! 'Cause that would be totally awesome if there were!"

"Not really…" Gubbi said, shaking her head slightly.

"Aw don't worry!" Lavi grinned as he winked-or blinked. "We have heard that there is something strange going on around here, but we're not very sure if it's true, or if they're just rumors. But if they are true, then we'll protect you lovely ladies from any mean ghosts or demons."

Lynn and Gubbi both blushed.

'_Where is Bookman when you need him?'_ Allen thought, sighing in exasperation.

"…It's not like I'm scared of ghosts or anything…" Lynn said, getting over the initial effect Lavi usually had on girls. "If anything, Caitlin's going to be the one needing protection."

"Lynn."

"She's scared of her own shadow!"

"Lynn!"

The blonde stopped abruptly at Caitlin's harsh tone.

"Please stop it. I only get scared when other people are scared. I've told you this before."

Lynn stayed silent, twiddling her thumbs.

Now the atmosphere was thick and awkward. No one knew what to say or do.

"Uh…" Gubbi suddenly asked, looking at Allen. "Since you're British, have you read Sherlock Holmes?"

Lynn sighed loudly at the question.

Allen sweat-dropped. "Um…no, actually I haven't."

Lavi's hand shot up in the air. "Oh! Oh! I have!"

Gubbi's eyes lit up and Lynn groaned again. "Oh no…here we go…"

"I'm so obsessed with it!" Gubbi exclaimed happily. "I love it so much!"

"I like it a lot too." Lavi grinned. "Which is your favorite book?"

And thus began the Sherlock Holmes conversation between Lavi and Gubbi. Caitlin and Kanda were still silent, though Lynn could still see her glancing at the navy-haired samurai every now and then.

That left Allen and Lynn in the back.

They just kind of looked at one another, not knowing what to say. Lynn knew she needed to break the ice with something…

"So…" Allen said, speaking first. "…What do you like?"

"Lots of stuff." Lynn responded. "I like writing and singing a lot."

There was suddenly a light in Allen's eyes that Lynn couldn't identify. "You like music?"

Lynn nodded. "I love it. I used to play a little violin a couple years ago, but I didn't have a teacher. So most of what I know is what I taught myself."

"Do you miss it?" Allen asked. "Playing violin, I mean."

"Not really. I wasn't very good at all. It sounded awful when I played, really. I enjoy singing much more." She looked at the boy floating beside her. "Do you play? Or sing?"

Allen let out a small chuckle. "Oh no, I don't sing! Not at all. But…" he trailed off a bit. "…I do play piano. I only know one melody though."

"Better than nothing, right?" Lynn said with a smile.

"I think that Moriarty is so creepy though!" Gubbi suddenly cried out.

"Yeah, he is totally creepy, but the guy's obviously a mastermind." Lavi pointed out.

"Oh I'm not arguing that he's not smart or anything, I just think he's creepy."

Lynn sweat-dropped a bit at her friend's conversation.

Another minute of silence hung between the two in the backs of the canoes before Allen's stomach decided to break it with a rather loud growl.

Allen blushed a bit and put his hand on his stomach as it nearly roared in protest.

Lynn blinked. "Are you alright?"

"He's fine." Lavi said with a flick of his wrist. "He's just hungry."

"Seriously? Sounded like a dinosaur or something." Gubbi remarked, looking at the white-haired Exorcist.

Allen didn't reply. His stomach kept growling though.

Then Lavi snapped his fingers. "Oh damn…" he mumbled. "Sorry Al, I left the food back at the tent."

Allen looked heart-broken. "You…wha? But Lavi!"

"Hey, if we stop at this bank up ahead," Lynn offered, gesturing to the rocky shore. "We have some stuff in our cooler if you're really desperate."

Allen whirled to face her. "Really?" he asked, with the most elated expression Lynn had ever seen.

'…_He's so cute!'_ she thought when she saw him.

"That's nice and all, but I doubt you have enough food in there to sate Allen's appetite." Lavi said. "He can easily put away enough food for three fully grown men."

"Sounds like Will…" Lynn mumbled.

"Will?" Allen repeated in an attempt to forget the pains in his stomach. "The same Will who had the yellow inner tube at the starting point?"

Lynn blinked. "…Yeah…you know him?"

"We met last night. He helped us put up our tent." Allen explained. "How do you know him?"

"Boyfriend or somethin'?" Lavi asked lazily.

Lynn then proceeded to choke rather violently on air. Allen tentatively clapped her on the back in an attempt to help.

"…What?!" she cried once she'd gotten her breath back. "No way! He's my little brother!"

"Little?" Lavi repeated. "…He looked like he was 16. How old are you?"

"…He's 14."

"Okay, but how old are you?" Lavi asked again.

"…17." Lynn said quietly.

"…Wow. You're shorter than Allen, and yet you're two years older than him." Lavi remarked with a grin.

Lynn bristled at the comment, and Allen's eyes flashed.

"I'm not that short!" Allen argued.

"Okay, okay!" Lavi cried, holding his hands up in defense. "Take it easy Shortstack!"

"MY NAME'S ALLEN!"

"OI!"

Everyone stopped and looked at Kanda, who had turned his head to give them a glare. "All of you shut up! I'm tired of hearing your annoying voices!"

"Is it that or are you just too stupid to understand what we're saying, and it makes you feel left out?" Allen smirked. "Oh poor Kanda, how will he ever increase his I.Q past five?"

"You're dead Moyashi."

"My name is Allen BaKanda."

"How about we all stop arguing and just beach over there?" Gubbi suggested.


End file.
